By PATRICK CASEY
The Walton softball team posted their 12th consecutive victory of the 2015 season on Monday night as freshman pitcher Hannah Poole tossed a three-hitter in a 9-0 home victory over the Pensacola Catholic Crusaders.
Walton struck for three runs in the bottom of the first inning as Jamie Lamb doubled with Mara Morse following with a single. Jade Larrick reached on a throwing error that scored Lamb with Morse racing home moments later on a wild pitch. Poole grounded out to plate Larrick as the Braves captured a lead they would never relinquish.
While Poole was tormenting the Crusaders to the tune of seven strikeouts, Lamb was helping her teammate out with solid defense at the shortstop position that saw her have a hand in three double plays during the contest. In the third inning after Poole hit lead-off batter Alyx Colley, Poole fielded a ball near second base, got control of the ball, stepped on the bag and fired to Kiki Bogart at first to earn the first two outs in that inning. In the fifth, after Savanna Nobles drew a one-out walk, Lamb fielded a hard-hit ball to her position, fired to Sydni Earley at second base with Earley completing the relay to Bogart for the final out of that inning. Lamb saved the best play of the game for last, snatching a pop-up that drifted into short centerfield with an over-the-shoulder grab, then firing to Bogart at first base to double off Keaton Covan, who had singled moments earlier but gotten too far off of first base on a ball that she did not expect to be caught.
Poole allowed only three hits in the game as the Braves ran their scoring difference to a 92-10 advantage through their first 13 games of the season with six of their 12 victories coming via a shutout.
Poole also had a pair of hits, including a double that cleared the bases in the bottom of the sixth inning as Walton padded a 5-0 lead with four more runs in the frame.
Lamb finished with two hits, driving in one and scoring two runs of her own. Senior Kayla Jackson had a pair of singles and drove in a run while also scoring.
The Crusaders stranded only three runners on base as Walton earned a sweep of the regular season series and moved to 5-0 in District 1 of Class 4A. The two teams will face off again as Walton and Pensacola Catholic will play in one of two district semi-finals on April 14 with a state playoff berth on the line.
Walton will play their final regular season district game on Friday when they host the Marianna Bulldogs, a club that Walton edged 1-0 on the road in Marianna on March 19.
Team Notes: Walton’s only road contests of the regular season that remain on the schedule will be a two-day tournament in Slocomb on April 10-11. Marianna will host the District 1, Class 4A tournament beginning April 14. The 12-1 start by Walton appears to be the best record ever by the softball program through 13 games since the start of fast-pitch softball at the school in 1994. Walton’s 2006 club was 10-1 before losing their second game of the year to Donelson Christian 8-7 in nine innings to fall to 10-2. That team was 20-2 before losing three of their last four games to finish 21-5 overall as that squad earned the school’s first playoff berth in the sport that season under coach Stan Bosenberg, losing at Marianna in an opening round state playoff game 10-2.
